Finding Amaranth
by Matt's Goggles
Summary: The lives of certain people take an unorthodox turn once they stumble into worlds quite bizarre. Matsuda has been chosen to haul around an over-sized key, Light and Misa have lost their Death Notes, Mello and Matt are stranded on a island full of CHILDREN, L meets an angel, and Namine finds a notebook quite different from he usual sketchpads. (STORY MOVED TO THIS NEW ACCOUNT.)
1. Finding Yourself

Matsuda, bright-eyed and not old enough to whisper tales to the Earth that already knew, roughly toed at his driveway and watched those miniscule rocks tumble against the layer of dust another time. He threw his head backward just as he released a childlike growl from the back of his throat. Today was not his day.

This was not the first time that this had happened to Matsuda; no, not in the least bit. Matsuda was quite used to having others snap at him, silence him, cut him down… It was only on that rare occasion that he would begin to ponder on the thought that perhaps there…was something wrong with him. Others put as little thought into it as he generally would. They easily knew his natural tendencies: light-hearted, silly…childish… Albeit Matsuda's traits could bite at their nerves, they still accepted him for his definable type, and he inferred so.

Of course, Matsuda was still human, and some days, he did feel a strange pull in the core of his chest when someone would have this attitude towards him, but this time was different…for now.

Earlier today, Matsuda had been on a date. It wasn't his first date, but he couldn't truthfully utter the words "I've been on lots of dates, before"… which he may have done, from time to time. It was nothing spectacular, which he didn't feel necessary for a first date with someone. The two of them had dinner together at one of his favorite restaurants. Matsuda arrived at her house on-time, went to the door himself to get her, and opened the door for her both at the car and the restaurant. When it came to dinner, she seemed to be quite comfortable with his personality. She didn't ask any first-date clichés, she didn't frequently excuse herself to the bathroom, as a couple of his previous dates would deliberately resort to, and she laughed at many of his jokes and goofs. Everything, from his perspective, was going splendid. He wasn't even awkward, this time.

After the date, he took her home, and before he could depart, she pulled him aside for a brief talk. That was when she explained to him that she enjoyed the date, and she truly found him to be attractive, sweet, and fun… yet, she didn't find that he took life seriously enough for her liking, and stated that if he couldn't do that, then he most certainly wouldn't succeed in taking her and their relationship-to-be seriously.

He hadn't at all seen _that_ coming.

He knew in his heart that her words were untrue, but didn't quite comprehend why she believed so.

It was a first date. Why would a woman come to that sort of conclusion based on one lousy dinner?

As the rush of thoughts began to roar a good bit more stridently within the limited depths of his contemplations, Matsuda felt a brush of night-born wind against the soft skin of his face, and slowly, he opened his eyelids to face all that resided around him. His head was tilted back, and the first thing he saw during that moment was as reassuring as any genuine compliment. The stars burned brightly, glistening in their absolute wonder for all to see, and for some reason, he thought of them as tiny children of the very sun. He chuckled a bit at this thought. Matsuda smiled and continued to admire the sky above him.

There were as many women on the Earth as there were visible stars in the sky. What was one who didn't allow herself to learn and know him? Chances were, he would most definitely find someone, one of those days.

Matsuda. He wasn't one to let a bothering linger within him for long. He could let things go.

Now grinning, he made his way to the carport and back into his house, and before he knew it, he was in his loose, blue wool pajamas, teeth clean and face washed for the night, happily settled into bed and good and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

Sleep began to softly carry Matsuda on its wings, and the further he drifted into that sleep, the louder the voices in his new dreams were becoming. The choir of crickets chirping, which could be easily heard through the window adjacent to his bed, did not interrupt his sleep tonight, nor did it ever, before. Most tend to be subconsciously adjusted to such noises. The vision of his dream on the rise was clearing up by the mere second, and when his subconscious mind could make out that first image, that is when Matsuda began to dream…

_A petite, raven-haired girl skirts along a cliff, the edges poking out at the colorless stretch of sky. Whitish fog is closing in on the dying day, but this does not stop her from walking at her crooked pace. Her eyes are somber, endless pools of witnessing a hundred dreams broken, and the call out to her final hope lost still lingers on her cracked lips. She lets the simplest tear escape the corner of her right eye, wipes it with a gloved finger, and tries to taste the salt-water already too seeped into the fabric to save. Still, the girl walks._

_The small girl secures her arms snugly around herself as the ironic grey in the sky taunts her, as she is someone who clearly reflects the unpromising hues of grey. Her walking pace is a bit slower, now._

_Her eyes retain the image of a boy, gently complying with the lull of longer sleep, cocooned in something white. Sealing off the small projection within the anticipation-lacking pupils of a crystalline blue, the girl tightly closes her eyelids, scrunching her black eyelashes out of sight._

_A knife appears in her hand, as her fingers are now squeezed around the handle. Flashes of orange and blue streak her vision, and the girl involuntarily leans backward, nearly collapsing flat onto her thighs. Her vision remains impaired, for now._

_A roar can be heard from the distance, albeit, more of a quick cry, and within a split second, an enormous dragon, scales of blue, is looming over her tiny form._

_"Worthless" rasps the…_talking_ dragon? Going on instinct, of course, the black-haired girl thrusts her wrist forward and stabs the dragon directly in its gut. She emits a choked gasp once realizing that it has no affect on the daunting beast before her._

_"You aren't wrong. I am worthless." she says. Still unable to see properly, she makes another attempt to attack this dragon, but harms nothing but the whispering wind sauntering its way through the fog._

_"See!" it growls…_

Matsuda's eyelids fluttered open to the feel of unfathomable confusion heating his skin with perspiration.

"Whoa…" he brushed his bangs back with four fingers to wipe his forehead, a bit. "…heh-heh…what a cliffhanger…." he murmured to himself. If in the most timely act of drifting back off, one can sometimes continue their lost dream.

_Dragon…_

His comprehensive nighttime thoughts were becoming quite a challenge to hang on to.

_Girl…_

Matsuda could almost hear the roars of that dragon, once again, when he dozed off into a dream not very dragon concerned…..

_The sleeping boy is falling…_

_He is falling through what looks to be murky ocean waters. The lighting within the waters makes him appear luminescent from head to toe, like he is the ocean's very own sun. Still, the sleeping boy is falling…_

_He has been falling for what seems to be centuries, but is only a few minutes. The last few thoughts before the boy drifted into this ever sleep still buzz about his mind, but it is not only he that can hear them. The voice can hear it, as well. The voice knows that he will wake, soon enough._

_Further throughout the serene water, the boy continues to fall, collecting the speed of a shooting star, it seems. A warm light can be sighted not too far down from where he is to land. The sleeping boy does an involuntary turn within the water, so that when he lands, it will be on his feet. Is someone guiding him?_

_His eyes flutter open much like a newborn when the pace of his falling begins to slow down. Within a matter of seconds, the boy feels his feet touch a platform of stained glass that appears around his feet. With awe, he watches a graceful family of doves fly away. Where are they going? There is no more water left, so they should not drown. Are they afraid?_

_"Touta." someone calls out to the boy. He becomes alert at the sound of his name. He isn't used to being called by his first name, not while working with the task force._

_"Who are you?" Matsuda asks, taking a glance at the bizarre artwork of the platform he stands on._

_"There is so much for you to learn, only…so little time." says the voice. Matsuda is silent._

_"Do not be afraid, and do not rush. I will be there to guide you." assures the voice._

_"Alright." Matsuda tells the voice._

_"The door you will soon await remains closed, for now. Step forth, Touta. Can you step forward?" the voice says. Anticipating what will occur, Matsuda complies and takes a couple of steps forward. His eyes widen as he watches a shield to his left appear. After that, appears a staff to his right. In the center, comes a sword fit to be carried by the most valorous of knights. He takes a moment to admire them._

_"There is an extraordinary power sleeping within your heart. Once you give it form, it will grant you strength. Choose wisely. Follow what your heart has eyes for." explains the voice. After several moments of consideration, Matsuda begins to approach the staff. Before he takes it in hand, the voice clarifies,_

_"Your heart has lead you to the power of the mystic? Before you now is a staff of awe, wreck, and wisdom. Is this really the power you seek?" it asks. Matsuda grasps his fingers around it._

_"Yes." he confirms._

_"Your path has been set. Now, which power will you sacrifice, in return for this power?" the voice asks Matsuda. He perspires very lightly._

_"Aw, I have to give something up?" he complains._

_"Yes." the voice answers. Sighing, Matsuda quickly decides to keep defense over strength._

_"I choose to give up the sword." says Matsuda, taking a last look at it in its vigorous glory._

_"Are you sure that you want to give up the power of the warrior?" the voice warns._

_"Yeah." Matsuda says before he has time to change his mind. For a minute, it is quiet._

_"You have selected the power of a mystic, and given up the power of the warrior. Is this the form that you want?" the voice asks. Matsuda nods. He is unsure of what will happen, next. His suspicions soon come to an end when the glass before him shatters into millions of miniscule pieces, falling further down into the ravenous darkness and taking him down with them. He worries, at first, that he will die. Closing his eyes softly, he feels his feet against another glass platform. Matsuda exhales with respite and awaits further instruction from the mysterious voice._

_"Are you still there?" he asks._

_"Yes. I am still here. Now, the time has come that you learn to attack. As of now, you have gained the power to fight, Touta." the voice tells him._

_"Okay." he agrees._

_"You will need to fight in order to protect yourself and others." says the voice. A tiny, odd, and black creature pops up out of the blue. Matsuda maintains a fighting stance, with the new magic staff in one trembling hand, and he charges towards the creature. At first, he hesitates to attack it. It just looks so…cute…_

_"Touta, do not allow its defenseless façade to distract you. This creature is both very dangerous and powerful, and comes from the darkness and evil within our hearts. You must destroy it as quickly as possible." the voice tells Matsuda. Gathering his senses together, he swats the staff at the creature as hard as he can._

_"That's it! Very good!" encourages the voice._

_It falls back, but swiftly is back on its all-fours, running to Matsuda so that it may harm him. He acts fast, giving it a few more good smacks and slashes. Soon enough, it vanishes into thin air, leaving behind a trail of green and yellow orbs. Matsuda wonders if he should pick them up, or not._

_"Collecting those orbs will help you maintain both your strength and magic ability." the voice suggests. He takes them in hand, and his palm absorbs them right up. The voice is strangely mute, now._

_Matsuda gasps as gaseous darkness surrounds him, as if preparing to devour him whole. What about that door that the voice spoke of, earlier? Will this darkness bring him to such a door?_

"Dude, are you alright?" asked the voice of a jovial spirit.

Matsuda bolted upright, somewhat awake, and still attentive. "Wait…what?" he anxiously asked.

**(In the Castle That Never Was)**

This morning, Demyx appeared in the Grey Area _early_, for a change. In most cases, he rarely even arrived _on time_ for missions. He never performed well during the missions, themselves—particularly the Heartless hunt-downs, but his work ethic was better than one might expect.

As he marched to claim his signature spot on the couch, a couple of the elder members raised contemplative eyebrows. He ignored. Sitting upon the inconveniently hard couch, Demyx darted his eyes around the room two times only. There was no sign of Larxene. She must've still been at Castle Oblivion, with various others. He summoned his blue sitar that was not merely his weapon and instrument, but his comfort object, as well. Both Xaldin and Xigbar emitted disapproving grunts as Demyx began to tune the oddly-themed weapon. No member of Organization XII appreciated his musical 'talent', not even faultless little Xion, who only pretended to like the sound of his playing.

He looked up from his handiwork and flashed the two Nobody-men a nonchalant grin.

"Morning, guys. What's up?" he asked.

Demyx swallowed his greeting with a loud gulp as he acknowledged Saïx standing by the window, glaring at him as if he were the most appalling thing to ever crawl the worlds beneath Kingdom Hearts. Weren't those dirty looks reserved for Xion? _I hope he doesn't get the wrong idea about me being early. Saïx might think that I'm trying to be in better standing with the Organization, and that I want to improve my performances of a member, and to do that, I gotta work harder, and the only way I'd work harder is if they gave me harder missions! That would totally suck! Should I just start showing up late? Nah, they'd turn me into a Dusk, for sure, _Demyx thought to himself.

"Usual. Just waiting for the boss's right-hand-man to distribute the missions." answered Xigbar, raising an opened corner of his mouth, forming the fingers of one hand into the shape of a gun, and pointing at Saïx. Unresponsive, the Luna Diviner turned away.

"I must finish organizing a mission modified specially for It. Once I have finished, you may go as soon as you wish. I shouldn't have to remind you to speak with me, first." he said._I have a feeling that he's talking about me when he says "I shouldn't have to remind you", _thought Demyx.

"Hmm…and by 'It', you mean Poppet?" Xigbar asked him. Demyx was afraid to say anything that opposed Saïx in the least bit, but he didn't much like the way that other members would address Xion. She was a girl, and it was plain to see. Why did they insist on giving her such harsh treatment? Xigbar wasn't too bad, he just referred to her with a few bad-mannered nicknames from time to time, but Saïx always had his worst prepared for her.

"Yes." said Saïx. The three hadn't expected that Saïx would reply to Xigbar's flippantness, with the names and all. Demyx opened his mouth to question this "mission modified specially" for Xion.

"What are you gonna—" and right then, Number XIV took baby steps through the entrance and to the center of the Grey Area room.

"I'm ready for my mission, sir." she said. Saïx lowered his grimace in order to be eye-to-eye with the small-heighted Nobody.

"Aye', Poppet, how's my favorite gal?" greeted Xigbar from a couch on the left side of the room. Xion let out a simple murmur, not distinguishable to even the best ears, but stating that she was "okay". She and Demyx met eyes for a moment, and he gave her a reassuring tooth-smile along with tiny a nod of the head. Her visual focus trailed to the floor. Anything that Xion took to be a flirtatious gesture left her a tad more embarrassed of herself. She felt that Demyx only pitied her, and was attempting to make her feel securer for that reason.

"What was that? I'm a good bit deaf and a good bit blind, doll face. You'll have to speak up." Xigbar told her.

"I'm just fi—"

"Excuse me, XIV, but to my knowledge, I was just about to deliver to you your mission information. Was your statement significant enough to interrupt my proclamations?" Saïx accused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Saïx…it's just that Xigbar asked me a quest…"

"If you do not recall, XIV, you are the one who asked for your mission information; therefore, you should have dutifully waited for a response, just as any would do. It does not matter who asked you a question. If it is necessary to ignore them to behave correctly, then you should know better, and do so." he scolded. Demyx pressed his lips together for a moment and drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry." Xion said, hanging her head low. There was a brief moment of silence within the area.

"Your apology does not work as an eraser, nor does it mean anything, XIV. You should've kept quiet, from the start." said Saïx.

"…"

"I should've known to expect less from It. There is only so much that a throwaway rag doll and a failed experiment can accomplish." he added.

"Hey, man, you didn't need to go and say that! She's not a 'thing', she's a girl, just like _any_ girl who has a heart!" exclaimed Demyx.

"XIV is not a girl, Number IX. XIV is a failsafe, and nothing more." Saïx argued. Demyx carefully set his sitar aside and stood up.

"What's your problem with Xion, anyway? What did she do to you, or to any of us?" Demyx challenged. Saïx growled inside of his throat.

"You are opposing an authority?" he asked.

"Um…well…"

The Melodious Nocturne froze in his tracks, evaluating the possible consequences from this. Then again, he was merely doing the right thing. _Instincts, and helping Xion, or saving my own butt and kissing up to injustice?_ _Instincts, and helping Xion, or saving my own butt and kissing up to injustice? _He pondered this for not very long. _Well, when I put it that way, it makes it sound like a no-brainer_.

"Yeah! I am opposing you, but I'm not opposing an authority, I'm opposing a…um…um…" _What should I say? _"..An oppose-er!" he shouted. Xaldin slapped his forehead, followed by a very obvious snicker from Xigbar. _What a pathetic imbecile, _Xaldin thought.

"Hmph…my opinions remain unaltered." Saïx claimed. Demyx narrowed his eyebrows at the blue-haired Nobody.

"What makes her different from the rest of us?" he asked. Saïx took a small and threatening step forward. Demyx took a large and cowardly step _back_. He nearly tumbled backward onto the couch, but luckily was able to break the fall using his not-so-agile hands.

"Because Xion was created in a laboratory!" protested Saïx. At that moment in time, the two of them simultaneously took a look at Xion. Below her downcast eyes, there were to be seen a few little, salty trails slipping out and sliding against her cheeks. The two of them hadn't even acknowledged her standing there or her responses, and _she_ was what they were bickering over! But, what was it that made Xion cry?

"Whoa, man, what's wrong?" asked Demyx, showing signs of both sympathy and puzzlement in his facial expression. She did not want to look him in the eyes, so she did not.

"I'm sorry, Demyx. You don't have to defend me. He's…" she paused. Demyx waited for the raven-haired girl to continue her sentence.

"Right?" he asked her. For a split second, Xion looked up at him…and when she did, she gave the most heartbreaking, pitiable expression. Saïx directed his visual focus elsewhere in disgust. 'Yes' or 'No'. That's all there could've been for her to say. Xion turned around and began walking towards the hallway entrance.

Of course, there was always the option of not saying…anything.

Both Demyx and Saïx watched until she faded from sight, soon hearing her bedroom door close in the distance.

"Demyx, it is time to put an end to this idiocy. You will go speak with Xion. Persuade…_her_…to embark on a mission, with you as her partner for the day." Saïx ordered. _Huh_? This struck Demyx as a bit bizarre for Saïx, especially under the circumstances of what had just happened. Nonetheless, he took Saïx's orders and teleported to right outside of Xion's room. He didn't feel that barging in would be appropriate. After all, Xion was probably still crying, and it would be embarrassing for her if Demyx were to witness that on accident.

After standing there and waiting for a couple of minutes, he carefully knocked upon her door.

"Xion? You in there?" Demyx asked. At first, there was only silence.

In her room, Xion was swiftly attempting to remove all traces of tears from her face. Her eyes were surrounded by a soft hue of red that also stumbled across her porcelain-like cheeks. For a moment, she considered waiting for it to fade. Shaking her head in dismissal of that thought, Xion, still sitting on her hard bed, straightened her position and readied an answer. It wasn't any use to hide it. Demyx had already seen her crying, earlier, as well as Xigbar, Xaldin, and Saïx. After all, if Xion could handle the memory of _Saïx_watching her in pathetic tears, then she certainly could Demyx. She inhaled deeply, released, and then parted her lips the slightest bit.

"Yes. You can come in." she told him, wincing at the instability of her own voice. Xion listened to the door's eerie creak as Demyx let himself in.

"You feeling alright about yourself, Xi? What Saïx said back there was pretty harsh." he asked her.

"I guess I'm okay." Xion replied. Demyx thought to himself, _judging by the way that her tone drags itself on like that, I'm guessing that she definitely isn't okay. Why do girls always feel like they have to lie about that? If they just told the truth, maybe we could help them to feel better! Geez! Is she trying to send a signal, or something, or does she really not want me to know her feelings? I'm so confused, right now!_

"Well, whenever you, um…" he was aware of his duty to convince her to embark on their mission, but he didn't want it to seem as though that was the only reason he visited her. Xion was hurt enough.

"I know. I'll be ready for the mission in a few minutes, Demyx." Xion said, surprising Demyx quite a bit.

"Okay. I'll be waiting." he said. Before Demyx could exit the room, Xion stopped him.

"Well, actually, let's just go right now. I don't want to waste your time." she said.

"Xion, if you don't feel like going, yet, then that's fine." Demyx told her.

"I know that, but Saïx is already…angry with you." Xion told him. _Wow, this girl really does think she's some huge burden, or something. I feel bad for her, but no matter what I say, she always finds another way to put herself down. I hate to admit it, but that's really getting annoying!_

"If you say so." said Demyx, as they both teleported to the grey area. Ignoring Saïx's vindictive stare, Demyx approached him, Xion quietly following him from behind. _I don't know why she feels safe behind me, but it's gonna end up getting her seriously injured_, Demyx thought to himself.

"Be sure that you are prepared for your missions." he told the young Nobodies.

"We are." they confirmed in unison.

"I see. Your mission is to report to Hollow Bastion, track down a mildly powerful target, and eliminate it, at once. You will be searching for the Giga Shadow." ordered Saïx.

"Got it." said Xion.

"Yeah. That shouldn't be too hard." added Demyx.

* * *

"Demyx, the Heartless is multiplying! We need to attack it at the source if we want the copies to go away!" shouted Xion, while trying to push her way towards the main Giga Shadow. Several of his water forms slashed their instruments and limbs towards the smaller clones, causing them to morph into even greater numbers. Xion's facial expression held a certain stress.

"Demyx, you need to _un_-summon the water forms! When they attack the smaller copies, they just grow into more! The forms are only going to go for what's closest to their own size, so it would be a lot easier of you just got rid of them!" she hollered, still fighting and becoming quite breathless. The more Xion battled, the more she began to realize something.

Demyx was being unusually quiet…

Soon enough, it hit her.

Xion turned around only to find that Demyx was _not_ there. After all that had happened today, after all that he had done to defend her and save her confidence in herself, he had still decided to sneak off and save his own cowardly hide. _I can't believe he actually did that,_ thought Xion. She took a moment to evaluate Demyx as an individual. _Never mind. I think that I can believe it._

With irritating fueling her attacks, she took a daring swing at the Giga Shadow, successfully taking it out with a blow that wasn't even pre-meditated. To her satisfaction, the copies around it quickly faded into dust. These confounded pests were no more…for today…

Although leaving him behind could teach him a valuable lesson, that simply wasn't the type of thing for Xion to do. She began searching for Demyx's whereabouts in Hollow Bastion. _By this point, he couldn't have gone too far. Besides, his forms probably would've faded or followed him, by now, if he was farther away, right?_

"Hmm…where should I look, first? I guess this is the first time that I'm not happy about being in a world that you can never finish exploring." Xion said to herself. She decided to start by following the trail of debris at what was left of the castle gate. Demyx wasn't responsible for the destruction, but it wouldn't hurt to look. She knew that after following, it would soon lead her to the town's restoration site. It was a very safe area, so it would make much sense if Demyx had chosen to hide away there.

That is precisely what Xion did. She followed the debris until she found herself at the 'official' restoration site.

Xion wrinkled her nose at the odor of oil and shredded wood. Oddly, she did not see any machines around. _What are they using to restore this place? Where is that smell coming from? _Xion glanced in the direction of entrance to Ansem's old study. _They must have some sort of storage, in there, where they keep what they need, _she thought.

A sensation awoke within her that she was being observed from afar.

"Hey, Xion, a little help over here?" a voice asked from a distance, causing her to jump with alert. She turned to the sound of the voice and saw Demyx in a nearby battlefield. Someone else was with him.

"Why did you run away?" she shouted.

"What? Sorry, girl, can't hear you." he called back to her.

"Why did you run away?" Xion hollered, a couple notches louder this time.

"You're gonna have to come over here! My hearing sucks!" said Demyx. Resisting the temptation to just chuck a bolt of thunder magic his way, she walked away from the restoration site and towards his location on the field. _Who is his friend? Why are they asleep like that?_

Xion continued to walk….

This 'friend' of Demyx's was clearly not a member of Organization XII. Their attire was nothing short of comfortably loose-fitting, blue pajamas…

_Wait a minute…_

Something clicked within Xion's mind as she reached the two boys. If Demyx's friend was merely taking a nap, Demyx would not have such a concerned look on his face, nor would he be _asking for assistance_. _I'm such a dummy, _Xion thought to herself as she kneeled down to get a close look at the boy.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just saw him unconscious and about to get attacked by these Heartless, and I sprinted off to help him. I know that you don't want us to be messing with regions that don't concern our mission, 'cause of Saïx and all, but I felt bad for the guy." said Demyx. Xion brushed the boy's hair from his eye and pressed her ear to his neck. It was all that she could do not to gasp at the warmth of the boy's skin. Nobodies consisted of cold temperatures. It was a completely new feeling.

"What are you doing?" asked Demyx.

"Listening for a pulse. He's still alive." answered Xion, pulling away and sitting on her knees. It was strange. She was almost _reluctant_ to pull away. He felt like so much life, more life than Xion had ever felt within her own self, and now that she had had a taste of it, she felt as if she only wanted to cling to it…to _depend_ on it.

It was the first time that Xion had ever touched a human, and it was wonderful. Simply the thought that someone could possess so much life within their mere _body temperature_sent thrills down her spine.

"Xion, you still here?" asked Demyx, obnoxiously waving a hand in front of her face. She remained in a daze, staring into the closed eyes of an anonymous human.

"Aw, come on, Xion. Don't tell me that this is 'love at first sight', or something." he complained.

"It's not. Be quiet, Demyx." Xion protested.

"Nah, I know that look in a girl when I see it. You're_ totally_ in love." he teased.

"Am not!" she said.

"Are too!" Demyx told her. And, then…

Arguing…

Arguing…

Teasing…

Arguing…

Arguing…

_More_ teasing…

_More_ arguing...

The boy opened his eyes groggily as he was thrown out of yet _another_ nonsensical dream. He could vaguely hear voices going back and forth at something. He couldn't distinguish what they were saying.

Just as Xion was about to strike the pathetic Nobody, she acknowledged the boy's open eyes.

"No, it's obvious that…" she pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"He's awake…" she whispered. Demyx mouthed an "oh…" to imply his understanding and used _his_ finger to shove hers away. Their silly bickering was to end, _now_.

"Dude, are you alright?" asked Demyx.

The boy bolted upright as if to ready himself for a clever attack. He only appeared to be _half _awake.

"Wait…what?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.


	2. Finding a Corpse

**(In Japan)**

L inhaled lightly and ingested the smell of angst floating throughout the air of the room. Some shouted, but he simply sat there in that chair of his, shuffling through the memories of his childhood. One of the first images to spring to mind was Watari. Watari was the man who brought L to Wammy's House after L was orphaned.

Watari had cared about L as if he were his son in the blood. Behind those simple visits to the special orphanage was someone who did have concerns for his well being, and not merely a want to see the child live out his full potential as an intelligent being, but make sure that his childhood could be something of a happy one.

The only person that L had ever been able to call _family_ had just collapsed on the screen before him, without any warning, whatsoever. He was gone, leaving L a lonely man.

As others frantically wondered how to act next, L noticed how their voices were growing rather…vague. Supposedly, even the mere voices of his associates were leaving him in solitude.

Earlier, he had to take a deep breath and quickly explain to those around him why the surveillance screens were shut off. He did not want to knead all of his sorrow and loss into a mask of apathy and a mind set on work, but it was what he had to suck up and do. Why? Because that was who he was. That was L. The L that the others depended on and expected.

They were in too much of a panic to consider the pain that L could have been in, which he most certainly was, and were getting to the point where they couldn't produce _one_comprehensive thought.

L did not ponder upon who would be the next victim of death, itself. After thinking over what somberness would become of his soul, he realized something. He did not feel anything. That didn't mean that he wasn't devastated by Watari's untimely demise, but when he snapped into reality and reached for those feelings…he discovered a gaping hole, drenching his heart with a new dark hue for every emotion of abandonment that he had ever experienced.

A ringing passed between his two ears. He focused on this off-putting sound. The harder L concentrated, the realer this ringing would become. It wasn't the ringing that you heard when you laid still against your pillow during the afternoon when no one was home. It wasn't a natural ringing, like a siren or alarm. As the noise ate away any other focus in L, he was able to distinguish its truth.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

He widened his eyes at the familiar echo.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

"Ring, ring, ring, ring" went the bells. _And so, we meet again, _L thought. The church bells had never been so loud, before.

L felt the tiniest pull in his chest as he remembered the lightning outside of his bedroom window on that night, his first night at Wammy's House. He had been sitting on his bed with one foot ghosting over the other, listening to those bells ring. 'L' for little, 'L' for lonely…

Perhaps this minor pang was a feeling of true mourning.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

The pull became a bit stronger. It didn't concern L. Why would it? It was simply a friend for his last few breaths.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

Tighter was the metaphoric squeeze around his heart…it was actually starting to hurt.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

Scratch _starting_ to hurt; this pain in his chest was all he could think about, now. He began to wobble to his left, a bit.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

Without any way of prevention, L collapsed from his chair and his body collided with the cold, unwelcoming ground.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

He thought of the time when he was eight years old, when he fell from the swing outside. To his luck, Mr. Roger had been there to help him up. It was the only time that L had used one of the swings.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

It was becoming unbearable as it escalated past the point of a burning sensation.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring…_

He knew, now. It was time. Through the corner of his eye, he could see Light. Everything around him was blurring into a single and beautiful white, a white that he knew would bring him from suffering to serenity. Maybe it was the angels dressing him for a subtle departure.

_RING, RING, RING, RING…_

For the merest of seconds, he saw the corner of Light's lip curve upward to form a sinister smile. The smirk quickly faded, just as all that L could see was. But L wasn't hallucinating. He _knew _that he had just seen Light smile.

_RING, RING, RING, RING…_

He had been right all this time. During the case, L believed that satisfaction would only come from Light confessing and being charged as Kirā. _That_ had been very, very wrong.

_RING, RING, RING, RING…_

Now, he had witnessed that the only human being alive who truly understood him, Light Yagami, had betrayed him. _That_ was not satisfying _at all_. In fact, it was probably the worst feeling that L had ever come across. Light Yagami had lied to him and sold him out, all without even a flicker of remorse or hesitation. He had never trusted Light, to begin with, and knew that this day would come…why did it still feel so _terrible_?

_Ring…_

Whatever the matter, this was still L's final breath.

_Ring…_

This was hardly a gentle decease, as it looked to the others.

_Ring…_

_Goodbye_, he thought slowly, releasing the final sound bouncing throughout the walls of his brain…

The ringing stopped. Forevermore, L was silenced, without love to warm the loss. He had heard no gentle voice from his past whisper comforting words to him during his final hour, because there _was_ none.

Everything, for Light, was falling perfectly into place. At long last, L had been killed! Light maintained a terrified look on his face, with L's corpse sandwiched between his hands, for the others while truly taking everything in. _This is excellent! L is actually dead! Now, they'll have no choice but to have me replace him! With the police forces under my control, it'd be almost impossible for them to discover me as Kirā! Now, it would look pretty suspicious if I continued to stand here with no response after L has just collapsed onto the ground and died. I'll need to improvise._

Light grasped his shoulders, used all of his strength to shake him, and shouted whatever faux panicked reactions sprung to mind. There was something about L's stationary features that Light found disturbing. He couldn't put his finger on why. _This is definitely what I want, _Light thought. He never seemed to realize the fact that he had been contradicting what he wanted as Kirā. He didn't want harmony in the world. The majority of his actions as Kirā revolved around two things: being entertained, and being in control. Light was blind to that.

Light didn't feel his dark heart jump with enthusiasm. Were those his expectations? _Never mind this_, he thought, a few tears of faux mourning escaping the corner of his eye as two members of the task force pull him away, trying to calm him down.

For a moment, all eyes were off of L.

Light envisioned where he could bring "his world" to without the hindering of a far-too-accurate detective. _Heh_…_I…I can't…hm…smile…hm…now…hahaha! Hahaha!_

Other members of the task force concerned over who will be the next victim, or if it would be possible to catch Kirā without the guidance of L. The grasp of confidence loosened within these detectives, just as Light's grip on sanity did not too long ago. They all fled from the room, ordering Mogi to take care of L's light corpse. But, _what _corpse?

**(In the Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion)**

The boy squeezed his eyes shut while scratching the top of his hair, Demyx and Xion staring upon him with awe. They hadn't the faintest idea where this boy had come from, nor who he was, not to mention that this was the first time that they had ever seen _anyone_ dressed that way, before. If he were to encounter a battle, his outfit would be torn to shreds in less than a second! What was protecting him? Perhaps it was a magical spell? Neither one of them were even sure how to behave.

The boy took a look at his surroundings once his vision was finally cleared from sleeping.

"Can he hear us?" Xion asked Demyx, who simply shrugged in response. The boy jumped backward and widened his eyes in confusion. Beads of perspiration began to grease his dark brown bangs.

"Where…what is this place?" he asked, breathing heavily out of panic.

"You mean he lost his memory? Huh…poor guy. I'd hate to lose my memory in a place like this. At least he ended up safe, right?" Demyx said.

"This place…" the boy began, glancing at the sky above the, "is so strange. What _is_ it?" he asked the two teenagers in black.

"We're in a town called 'Radiant Garden', formerly known as 'Hollow Bastion'. I guess people can end up in random worlds pretty easily, if you think about it, but…where did you_come_ from?" asked Xion, looking him in the eye. He returned the eye contact, but blushed heavily. This was the first time that either of them had spoken to him directly since he could think clearly, again, and it was the girl among the two. It wasn't only that, though. She looked about his age.

"Uhh…" _Wow, she's so pretty! Ughhh, I feel like I'm in high school, again. I don't always get _this_ nervous around girls, right? Who am I kidding? I did the same thing around Misa-Misa and Sayu Yagami! Why does this always happen to me?_

"Uhh…I'm from Japan…and…the last place I remember being is asleep in bed." the boy told them, wondering how on Earth he could've gotten here by merely sleeping in the comfort of his bed and pajamas… He looked down at himself …the pajamas that he was still wearing. The blush fallen upon his cheeks was turning a shade even darker. What an excellent way to meet such a stunning girl. _Uhh…how embarrassing._

Demyx and Xion exchanged puzzled facial expressions. Neither one of them had ever been to, nor heard of a world called 'Japan'. Where in Kingdom Hearts was _that_? Whatever the matter, they couldn't reveal to them their identities as Organization XIII members.

"That must mean that your world was overtaken by the Heartless….I'm sorry…" stated Xion with her head down. _Huh? Heartless?_

"Excuse me for asking, but…what are Heartless?" the boy asked them.

"They're these mutant animal things that are super scary, and…" Xion clamped a hand over Demyx's mouth, and gave him an apologetic look with her eyes.

"The Heartless are creatures born from the darkness within people's hearts. At all times, they are dangerous, because they will attack you, but there is always a way to defeat them. Some are small and feeble, while others are gigantic and tough enemies." she stopped there. It wasn't safe to leak information to him regarding Kingdom Hearts, itself, as well as the Organization. He could have been sent by an enemy.

The dark-haired boy didn't have much of anything to say, by that point. If his heart wasn't beating so rapidly, perhaps he could have spat out some kind of baffled murmur. _I just said earlier that the last place I remember being was asleep in bed, so, this is probably just a dream… _He closed his eyes, feeling defeated. _Ohh, what am I saying? There's _no way_ this could be a dream. I can feel and hear everything so clearly…it's all so obviously real. Dreams are never this realistic; this isn't some sort of movie. Besides, back at headquarters, we just confirmed the existence of Shinigami! Who knows what could be next? Oh, no…I hope I don't get in trouble for not being at work when I get back home…_His stomach growled, and he let out a brief nervous laugh.

"Heh heh…guess I'm hungry." the boy said, rubbing his belly. Demyx and Xion both simply smiled.

"I'm Demyx! Nice to meet you, dude!"

"And…I'm Xion." the both of them greeted. _Jeez, I've never heard names like that, before, _the boy thought to himself.

"My name is Touta Matsuda, but just call me 'Matsuda.'" he replied. Instantly, Matsuda realized his mistake. _Oh, no! I just gave out my real name without even thinking! Will it even matter in this world? Is this place even on Earth? It has to be, right? I don't think I know anything, anymore…_Matsuda groaned.

"Everything okay?" asked Demyx.

"Yeah, I've just never been more confused in my life." he told him.

"I'm sorry. You must be homesick." inferred Xion. Matsuda's heart nearly leaped from his chest and onto her lap when he felt Xion place a hand on his shoulder to try and reassure him.

"Uh…thanks! I mean, I am, but…" his exaggerated anxiety brought a sweet smile to grace Xion's lips, as if this were a precious memory of silliness with a friend. _I guess this means we have to do something about this guy, but…I really don't wanna get in trouble with the big man! What should Xion and I do? I wanna help him, but we can't really discuss the decision right in front of him, _Demyx thought to himself.

"Hey Xion, can we all just hang out in the center of town until we figure out what to do?" he asked.

"Um…" _We need to RTC, soon, but I suppose this is not the first time we've been late back at the castle. Hmm…I can't let it stop me from doing the right thing. I think that Matsuda really needs our help._

"Yes. I think so."

"Cool! Let's go!" Demyx exclaimed, standing up. Xion helped Matsuda up and quickly stepped away in shyness, and the three of them began to walk.

Within a ridiculously short amount of time, dozens of dark creatures began to appear around them.

**(In Hollow Bastion's Marketplace)**

Maki was dumbfounded. When her older cousin, Yuffie, promised to take her to town, she had never even anticipated such magnificence! Well, in truth, the town was in laughable shape, but in a child's eyes, it was an unfathomable land of new and unique wonders.

There were various pairs of plump-bellied men trading synthesis items and laughing heartily, dressed in extravagant attire that Maki, being her age, defined as "clown clothes". Occasional shops along the market were run by those little, red-nosed creatures that Maki had never been able to remember the name of. However, she _did_ remember Yuffie's opinion of them.

"_Now you remember, little cous'…(whatever their name may be) are no good, swindling jerks that just wanna cheat you out of all that you worked hard and defeated countless life-threatening enemies for! I don't even want to see you _talking_ to them! Got it?"_

She giggled at the thought of her guardian's creative attitudes. Being full of surprises certainly ran in that family.

Above Maki was what she admired most about Yuffie's hometown. The vast stretch of sky, with all colors of pink, orange, purple, yellow, white…it would make most people wish deeply in their hearts that they were skilled painters, but Maki was still in the blobbing-randomly-onto-the-paper stage, and didn't much care of what_ others_ thought of her skills,_especially_ herself. No, _she_ wanted to _fly_. She wasn't the first at that. That breathtaking sky had inspired people of all sorts of ages to just spread wings and soar the sky, or just float gently by without any supernatural assistance.

Yuffie had her mind on what Aerith had been telling her for the past two weeks. Aerith's mission as Cloud's guardian angel was complete. He had moved on, fulfilled his true destiny and defeated Sephiroth by sacrificing himself. But ever since two weeks ago, Aerith had sensed a "strange foreboding", or so she claimed. All she had described it with was that someone, someone special, would arrive here in due time. A new human for her to guard as an angel? Yuffie didn't know. Right now, she had other concerns. Maki was veering a little bit off course with her walking. She tapped on Maki's shoulder.

"Hey, pay attention when you're walking with me! If you stray too far, you might get in danger, little buddy." she warned.

"Okay. You lead!" said Maki, taking Yuffie's outstretched hand. Yuffie had to quicken her walking pace so that her cousin could keep on with her jovial skipping. She was simply precious; Yuffie wished that she was behind her so that she could witness it, but staying in front would make her role easier as the defense in case of danger coming up.

Maki went along as her older cousin followed a rocky, blue trail, as they were headed to go up the mountain. Her eyes were set on a battlefield, near to the destroyed Castle Gate. More specifically, Maki was quite distracted by a figure there.

Without even trying to identify it, she let go of Yuffie's hand and sprinted off _toward_ the mysterious figure, going by the irrationality and impulsiveness that comes with being a young child. Yuffie's face began to take on a look of exasperation, and she began chasing Maki.

"Maki, stop doing that! Come _back_!" she shouted. Maki did not listen. She simply drowned out the sound of her elder's scolding and kept running to reach the figure. The closer she got to it, the clearer it was becoming. Whatever it was…

It was lying on the ground…

It had something white on it…perhaps a body if it were a Heartless, or a shirt if it were a human?

It was a person…

Maki was now towering over it, with a dazed look in her eyes. A person, a _man_. But who? What _kind_ of a person would appear here unconscious like this and not be devoured by the Heartless? That didn't match up with what Yuffie had taught her, at all.

She got down on her knees and pressed her ear against the motionless man's chest. Her eye widened after about a minute.

"Yuffie, cousin Yuffie, I think this man is dead!" she cried.

"Dead? Well…" Yuffie had seen plenty of outsiders show up dead, in her time, so this was just one more. But Maki was only a little girl. Would the sight of a dead man be a little too much for her to handle?

"Yuffie, we have to get help!" Maki told her.

"_Help_? Maki, I'm…."

"There's a voice telling me that we can get him help! Yuffie, we have to! We just have to!"

Yuffie's expression became serious. If she linked this to what Aerith had discussed with her recently, could it truly be coming from Aerith, the voice in Maki's head? Maki had certainly never said any outlandish things like that, before. If she did, would it even be like her to _listen_ to the voice? No, Maki would likely argue with it until it came to the agreement to do what she wanted or thought was honestly right. Otherwise, in this situation, she would be apologizing to the voice about not being able to help the dead man. Was it beyond that? Had the entire reason she had ran to the figure without any concern for possibly danger been because of Aerith?


	3. Finding That Motorcycle

**(In Hollow Bastion/The Radiant Garden)**

Matsuda jerked his head back with panic and let his mouth hang unevenly agape. _What _are_ these things? Oh, no, they must be those 'Heartless' that they were talking about, earlier. I was hoping we weren't going to run into those! _He looked to both his left and right to assure that he was safely sandwiched between Demyx and Xion, who surely would know what to do at a time like this if they had been here, before, right?

"Demyx, you take the ones behind us!" Xion commanded, hoping to the bottom of her heart that he would know better than to chicken out of the current situation. Matsuda didn't have his gun on him, so he would probably only prove as dead weight during these encounters. He would have to find himself a weapon, sooner or later.

"I'll protect you, Matsuda!" said Xion over the sound of Demyx relentlessly swinging around his guitar, because his water forms were honestly a pathetic fighting strategy. Alongside that fact, after what happened _last_ time, Xion would _never_ trust him to use that trick on their enemies, again. Matsuda didn't want to sit by shyly while they were fighting the eccentric-looking creatures. He wasn't exactly a strong man, but he was brave-hearted. He would always do what he thought would bring justice even if it meant risking his life; always. He decided that he wasn't going to _allow_ Xion to try and pull this off.

"No, I want to fight, too. I'll use my own hands and feet, if I have to, but you won't be alone." Matsuda told her.

"Thank you, Matsuda. Then that makes us a team, right?" she asks. _That reminds me of what Roxas did when I couldn't use my Keyblade…he let me borrow his and used a plain old stick, _Xion thought to herself, casting her eyes down sadly. _No, I can't let my guard down. I'm about to fight with Matsuda._

When she looked up, again, Matsuda wasn't standing beside her, anymore. He was running around in circles trying to divert the Heartless, because evidently punching and kicking them wasn't his best skill.

"Uh-huh! We're a team, Xion!" he shouted anxiously as a couple of armored Heartless began to close in on him. Xion summoned her Keyblade and started charging towards the annoying little things. Matsuda seemed to be scared out of his mind, thrashing and batting his arms at the Heartless aimlessly while emitting a few fret-filled gasps. _I'm almost there. I just have to reach them before he gets hurt!_

"Xion…" he murmured. With about eight Heartless hovering above and around him, she couldn't even really see him, much less what state he was in.

"You just need to hold on…I'm only a few feet away!" exclaimed the raven-haired girl, readying her Keyblade in a well-practiced stance.

Not to her expectations, Matsuda emerged from the Heartless and cleared them from his way. He was attacking them with a something shiny. Perhaps he had stolen armor from one of the nonhuman enemies? She narrowed her eyes to try and get a better glimpse. He was still nervous as before, and didn't seem to have any control when he was slashing around his weapon. In fact, his eyes weren't even open half of the time.

All eight of the Heartless that were on him like police dogs receded into nothing. Xion had a deep intake of air, her blue eyes glistening with shock. Matsuda was holding a Keyblade.

She hadn't time for her personal contemplations. She had to help him get a grasp of what was going on, first. Xion ran directly up to him and held her own Keyblade out to his.

"Where did _this_ come from?" asked Matsuda.

"It's a Keyblade! You've been chosen by it to be a Keyblade Master!" the girl with him exclaimed.

"_Uhhh_, _what's going onnnnn_?" he groaned. All of this unexplained, blatant bizarreness was getting a bit old.

More Heartless appeared around them.

"I will explain it to you, later! Let's take care of these, first!" Xion said. Matsuda tried to mimic her battle stance best he could, simply holding the Keyblade in a way that he found comfortable and convenient. Xion ran to the right, and Matsuda to the left. She was doing it with ease, knocking them out one by one in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. He jerked back every time a Heartless came at him threateningly and swooshed the oddly-shaped blade in front of his face. When a small, black Heartless appeared behind him, he nearly tripped over his own feet trying to obliterate it. Fortunately, he was able to turn around quickly enough to hit it clean on the head, knocking it on its bottom and soon after seeing it disappear into its fate. The more he fought, the more it felt like a dream, or even better…a video game. He considered the matter that thinking of this as a video game might help him in his battle. No, that wouldn't be of any use. Because if he got badly injured, he couldn't heal himself instantly, and if he got killed, he couldn't try again.

Matsuda maintained a streak of defeating the pesky Heartless, one after another, without much effort, at all. _Wow, I'm on a roll! _That is, until he got a bit overconfident and fell backward onto his back. _Oh, no. Not this_, he thought.

Xion dived forth and wiped out the threat, deliberately saving the life of Matsuda, or, at least to him. They both sat on their knees, panting wildly with slight perspiration in various areas.

"I think…that's…the last of them." gasped Xion, coughing at the break of her sentence.

"I…hope so…" replied Matsuda, breathlessly, as well.

"You…did…well…" she told him. _Really? I did?_

"That's…great…" he said, wishing he could put all of the excitement into his voice that he was truly feeling.

"XION? MATSUDA? A LITTLE HELP, OVER HERE?" called Demyx. They had honestly forgotten about him. If he needed help and wasn't running away, he _needed _help, but the two of them were in no shape to fight a second more. Matsuda groaned, once more.

"How will we…."

"Curaga!" said Xion, as the two of them instantaneously felt their bodies filled with energy.

**(In Hollow Bastion/The Radiant Garden, Near Merlin's House)**

"Come on, Yuffie, we have to hurry!" Maki yelped. The two dark-haired females were almost to their destination. They only had a short distance to run, now. Maki's energy had not been altered the slightest bit, while Yuffie had just run _two miles_ while both carrying a dead body _and_ trying to keep track of a little child. The body was rather light for an adult man, but still.

"There it is!" exclaimed Yuffie, thrilled at the sight of Merlin's door. Maki opened it so that Yuffie could burst inside without effort, and they ran to Aerith's room without a word. Maki stopped her older cousin from entering, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Wait, Yuffie!"

"What is it?" Yuffie asked, nearly gritting her teeth. Maki stepped forth and knocked on Aerith's door.

"You should always be polite, no matter what." the youngling proclaimed. A smile played on Yuffie's lips. She glanced at the body in her arms. The smile faded.

"Come in." Aerith said warmly. The girls entered with caution, Yuffie simply because she was concerned about the dead man, and Maki because she had never met this 'Aerith' woman, before. She anticipated seeing how Aerith intended to help the man. Aerith had only a candle lit on her nightstand for reading. Since she had guests, now, she ended the candle flame's dance and turned on her lamp.

"Is there something that I may help you wi—oh? Do you need me to cure him, for you?" she asked them, assuming it was a friend.

"We'll, he's not a friend; we just found him lying by the gate, today. I guess we don't want you to cure him, because he's not knocked out from battle…he's dead." explained Yuffie. Aerith said nothing, her eyes on the dark-haired man. Maki approached Aerith and directly looked her in the face.

"Please, Miss, you have to help him. My heart told me that we have to help him." she pleaded softly. Making eye contact, Aerith took the girl's feeble hands.

"I see. Yuffie, place the man on my bed, lying on his back." she decided without hesitation. She got up from her bed to make room for him, sitting on her knees by the bed's edge.

"Alright, whatever you say, Aer." Yuffie agreed, obeying as quickly as possible. A dead body only had so much time before it began to decompose and rot. She set him down as gentle as could be, making sure that he was lying flat, as well. Aerith took a moment to examine him. _I'm certainly feeling all of the signs. Yes, this must be him, _thought Aerith. She inhaled his lingering scent, which Yuffie and Maki most likely could _not_ smell. _I can still smell his heart, which means that he hasn't been consumed by the Heartless, yet. That's very fortunate._

"Excuse me, but I forgot to ask, what is your name?" Aerith asked Maki.

"My name is Maki Kirisaki, cousin of Yuffie Kisaragi, the legendary ninja." she responded.

"Thank you. Yuffie and Maki, will you please take a few steps back and cover your eyes?" the woman asked. Yuffie pulled Maki back with herself, placing one hand over her own, shut eyes, and another over little Maki's. _What are we not supposed to see? This is a bad time to play hide and seek, _Maki thought to herself.

Aerith closed her eyelids softly and placed two hands over the man's stopped heart. She concentrated deeply, clearing her mind of all irrelevant thoughts. Her hands were now luminescent of the color yellow, creating an angel-like glow. The illumination spread from her hands and throughout her entire body, making her appear to be but a blinding sample of Heaven, itself. The man she had her hands laid on was drowning in this same light. It was very tempting for even Yuffie not to peek, now.

"May I be your guardian angel." whispered Aerith in the midst of vague sounds and sights. It was then, when all of the light receded, back into the heart of her powers. Yuffie and Maki both stared nervously at the black-haired man.

"Mm…mm…hmm…"

The little girl's face lit up with excitement in response to the man's waking moans and murmurs. Without even giving him a chance to get over the natural grogginess of his state, or a chance for Aerith and Yuffie to explain to him where he is and what has just happened, Maki pounced on the bed and threw her arms around him. Startled, he opened his eyes, only to see the small child squeezing his waist and snuggling him.

"The man is alive! Yay!" she exclaimed. He would have pushed her away, but, well…he didn't want to. He had never had anything close to a friend, a lover, a child of his own. It felt good, to him.

"Hello." he said to the girl, his wide, dark-rimmed eyes staring upon her with slight perplexity.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir. My name is Maki Kirisaki, cousin of Yuffie Kisaragi, the legendary ninja!" she introduced with pride. _Ninja?_ He took a glance at the two grown women in the room.

"Yes, I see. Now, Maki, I need you to tell me something." he said, placing his hands on her shoulders with a firm grip.

"Yes, sir!" she agreed.

"Are we in Japan, and if not, please tell me that, as well." he told her, speaking softly.

"I-I don't know where Japan is. I've never even heard of it. We're in the Hollow Bastion."

"Radiant Garden, kid, I told you, before." corrected Yuffie.

"Right, the Radiant Garden, not the Hollow Bastion."

"Was your world overtaken by Heartless?" Yuffie asked him. He narrowed his eyes into what was almost a glare. _This woman is playing games with me. Or, perhaps it was a remark of dark humor regarding to all of the criminals that Kira has caused heart attacks? More importantly, where am I?_

"Yuffie and Maki, can you please give me a moment alone with him?" Aerith asks.

"Aw, man; I was hoping to at least _see_ his reaction." Yuffie complained. Nonetheless, she left Aerith's room and Maki followed.

"Maybe we can hear it." she whispered to Maki after they shut the door, leaning her ear up against it to imply eavesdropping and smiling mischievously. Maki giggled in response.

"Please, allow me to explain to you your current situation." she told him.

"I suppose I would be interested in hearing this information, but I have a very nasty case on my hands. I need to be getting back to it." he said.

"But, your world is in a parallel universe. How would you do so?" Aerith asked. His eyes widened just a bit more. _A_ parallel_ universe?_

He raised an eyebrow.

"I am not in a parallel world." he mumbled.

"You need rest. You're going to stay here so Yuffie and I can care for you until the day of your full recover." she told him. Strangely, she didn't seem to be trying to change the subject.

"I'm afraid that I ca—" he paused as a glint of memory flashed within his mind. Now that he was fully awake, he had just remembered….

He died.

Mere hours ago, he had _died_.

If he was dead, he couldn't go back to the headquarters where the task force worked. It would be absolutely disastrous. Was this his afterlife? If he had, in fact, been killed by Kira, was this a place where victims of the Death Note went to? It was unlikely; if he was dead, why would he even need to "fully recover" from anything? If he didn't allow himself to, the only thing that could eventually happen would be for him to die again. Therefore, it was probably not an afterlife. That hadn't sounded right, in the first place, anyways. Perhaps it truly was a parallel world! They had just discovered Shinigami as well as the Death Notes, so anything beyond common logic was now, in fact, common logic. Still, the idea of a parallel universe and him resurrecting seemed a tad far-fetched. Had his soul been transferred here? What was going on?

"Excuse me, are you okay?" she asked him.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." he assured, his hands trembling bit all the while. She took one of his pale hands into hers.

"Did you remember? Your death, that is?" Aerith could at least infer that far from the distant expression appearing on his face. _I find it far more believable, by this point. Still…_He let her continue.

"I should have you know that, you're no longer dead. You should thank my friends, Yuffie and Maki. If they didn't find you, we may have not been able to revive you in time." She couldn't shed too many details. After all, she wasn't actually _supposed_ to tell him that she was now his guardian angel. His eyes trailed to his hand, that was unexpectedly entwined with hers, and his mind, distracted by the strange sensation coming from it. It was clearly a result of his utter inexperience with women.

It was not necessarily like him to do this; yet, he decided to…accept the matter as it was. It was his only way of finding out the truth about where he was. If he could not return to his job as the world's greatest detective, would this be any better? Would it be a cowardly move to live in this new and foreign life? Would he _have_ to cast aside his identity…as L?

Whatever the matter, it wasn't as if he actually had a _choice_.

"It sounds like fun. Thank you." he finally said, smiling widely and then yawning.

"I am going to make you some herbal tea to help you sleep. Please don't get out of bed and try to do anything active." said Aerith, leaving the room.

_This is all so…impulsive. In fact, it's left my head _spinning_. I don't understand why this is happening. Once I recover, I'm going to leave, of this I am certain. Depending on the details of the death, I could always return and excuse it as faked…now, how easily would I be capable of pulling it off? Hmm…I'm sure Light will be chosen to take over as L, in due time….As well as those at the Orphanage…with such a scarce amount of people in belief that I, L, am in fact, dead, I shouldn't come across much difficulty with introducing myself as "still alive". Then again, it would be quite unfair to the children, as if…hmm…Perhaps it would be best for everyone if I _was_ dead._

L smiled darkly at his own minor joke.

**(In England)**

"You've been browsing those catalogues for a couple of weeks, but I never thought you'd be able to take one for a spin—" said Matt, watching Mello step off of the borrowed motorcycle.

"—and it was so generous of the old man. I never knew that one of his grandsons owned a motorcycle. It's so cool." he added. There was a fulfilled smile pasted across Mello's face, which could be seen as he was removing the black helmet from his head. He shook his hair out a bit and placed the helmet on the bike's leather seat.

"I told you, Matt, one day, when I'm the legal age, I'll purchase my own." Mello said. Matt raised his eyebrow at a thought,

"Hey, Mello, why don't we play one of my games where you can _race_ motorcycles? I have three for the PS2."

Mello chuckled softly.

"Sorry, Matt, but after experiencing the real thing, it would only sadden me." he replied. This only encouraged Matt's ideas. He sprinted for the motorcycle, himself.

"What are you _doing_?" asked Mello.

"You know, just checking her out." he said, climbing on.

"Don't even_ think_ about it." the blonde warned.

"_Noooope_…" Matt muttered, cranking the motorcycle and putting on the helmet. Mello gritted his teeth and lunged forward.

"You ignoramus! You'll get into trouble!" Mello scolded.

"Try and stop me." teased the brunette, riding off into the unknown. Not _believing_ that Matt had just done this, Mello began to chase after him on foot.


End file.
